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     The new movie directed by Denzel Washington entitled The Great Debate came out yesterday and I saw it this afternoon. It is a true story set in 1935 in Marshall Texas. Some might call it “Remember the Titans for Eggheads and Orators,” but there is more to it than that. It has a solid plot line and it deals with the reality of racism in the Depression era South. Some parts of it are not pretty, but it is a strong reminder that the word has power. For someone like me, who has the duty and privilege of proclaiming the ETERNAL WORD, it reminds me of the serious responsibility of preaching the Gospel to help God change hearts.  I would recommend this movie to adults and teenagers. My only regret is that I would have liked to seen more of the debates, but at two hours, I guess there was not much else to do. Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker are formidable forces in the film.

     Just in case things get too crazy tomorrow, I am going to post my Christmas homily tonight. If some of you are having trouble getting into the Christmas spirit, maybe this will help:

Christmas Day 2007

       One of the great traditions of Christmas is the exchange of gifts. All of the children here cannot wait for Santa to arrive. Moms may be hoping for a piece of jewelry and dads for some new electronic gizmo, but over time, we begin to recognize that the best gifts we receive are those that come from the heart.

     I’m sure that many parents here remember the gifts their children have made for them- a little ornament made out of plaster of paris, a wooden board with a picture of the nativity shellaced to it, or a change holder made from clay with the word “dad” scratched on the side. Why were these little things so precious to us? I think that it is becuase our children made something for us from their heart.

     In the minds that we helped to create they thought up an idea for a present. With the hands we helped create they formed their little projects. Finally, with the soul God created they wanted to do their best to give mom and dad a sign of their love.

    When they would present their gift wrapped in brightly colored paper and ribbon, their eyes watched as we opened their precious gift, and we will never forget their smile and bright eyes when we would tell them that it was just the thing we wanted. It is just the gift we wanted because it came from their heart, and not from a store.

     Today we celebrate the wondrous gift of God, Jesus Christ his Son, born of the Virgin Mary. What makes this gift different from every other is that God the Father not only gave us a gift from his heart, he actually gave us HIS HEART. Jesus Christ is truly the Heart of the Father. Present with the Son from all ages, the Father knew that if we were to be blessed and know the joy of salvation, he would have to give us more than a message or an angel, he would have to give us his only-begotten Son, his Heart, who takes on through the Virgin Mary a human heart, a human body and a human mind. We see him wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. We hear his cries of hunger. We touch his little hand as he tries to wrap it aound our big finger. He looks up at us with his bright eyes.

     The child Jesus, the Son of God, has given us the gift of Himself, his own Heart, his own Flesh and Blood so that we may know the meaning of everlasting life with God and a life full of grace and love. One day that gift will be poured out on the cross so that we too may become children of God.

     Jesus presents himself to us today and anxiously looks on, hoping that He will be accepted by each one of us- The Giver Himself becomes the Gift. As we gaze upon this little bundle of joy from whom our salvation will come, let us all say to the Lord “This is not only the gift I wanted, it is truly the gift I needed. It is the perfect gift, it is the Heart and love of God”

     Please pray for all priests and seminarians and support Sacred Heart Radio.

     Today is the final “O Antiphon” of this Advent season. This antiphon reminds us of something that we all too readily forget, namely that God is with us. With the Incarnation, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who has been with us through the words of the prophets and the teaching of the Law is now to be personally and permanently with us as Jesus Christ, the God-man. His continual presence in our lives frees us from fear of loneliness and hopelessness. He will ultimately free us from death through his resurrection. As we get ready to begin Christmas Eve tomorrow, let us prepare our hearts to encounter the Christ child in Word and Sacrament.

     O Emmauel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God.

Please ray for all priests and seminarians, and support Sacred Heart Radio.

     Day six of the “O Antiphons” brings us to the title of the Messiah as the King of the Nations. We see that the Messiah is not only going to restore Judaism to its rightful place, according to Isaiah, but all nations will come to see the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as the true God of all peoples.  

     Jesus Christ fulfills this prophecy of Isaiah in a much wider sense. As the Son of God, he was sent by the Father to save all peoples and restore them to grace through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus comes to be not only the symbol of the union of the human race, but he in fact embodies in himself the union of the human race. All peoples become one in Christ. We, however, spend a great deal of time focusing on how different we are from others. We see the division which is still present. We cannnot bring about unity solely on our own, it can only happen through the Spirit of Christ which is the source of all unity.

     As we prepare to celebrate the birthday of the Prince of Peace, let us ask the Lord to help us help us to be instruments of unity in our families, in the work place and whereever God may put us.

     O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust.

Please pray for all priests and seminarians, support Sacred Heart Radio, and if you have the chance, send up a prayer to the Lord for me that he may be merciful and give me something decent to preach on Christmas Day.

     On this fifth day of the “O Antiphons” we pray “O Radiant Dawn.” This verse gives us a true understanding of the Christian disposition. Christians are by their baptism, “morning people.” We know that with the rise of the sun, there is a new day of hope. We have passed through the darkness of sin, death, confusion and division and this is becuase “the dawn from on high shall break upon us.” The dawning of a new day shows us that God is always with us and that every day he gives us a new opportunity to serve him and one another. May the Lord especially radiate the warmth of his love and the brightness of his glory on those who are still in darkness through loneliness, loss, isolation and feeling unloved.

     O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

Plase pray for the safety of all the seminarians who have gone home for Christmas break, as well as all priests who have a lot of work ahead of them for the next four days, and support Sacred Heart Radio.

    In the Office of readings for December 20, we read a beautiful homily from St. Bernard, one of my most favorite homilies. He anxiously asks Mary, who has been told by the Angel Gabriel that she is to be the Mother of God:

        The angel awaits an answer; it is time for him to return to God who sent him. We too are waiting, O Lady, for your word of compassion; the sentence of condemnation weighs heavily upon us. The price of salvation is offered to you. We shall be set free at once if you consent.

       . . .Answer quickly, O virgin. Reply in haste to the angel or rather through the angel to the Lord. Answer wth a word, receive the Word of God. Speak you own word, conceive the divine Word . Breathe a passing word, embrace the eternal Word.

      . . .Why do you delay, why are you afraid? Believe, give praise and receive. Let humility be bold, let modesty be confident. This is no time for virginal simplicity to forget prudence. In this matter alone, O prudent Virgin, do not fear to be presumptuous. Though modest silence is pleasing, dutiful speech is now more necessary. Open your heart to faith, O Blessed Virgin, your lips to praise, your womb to the Creator.

     Dear Mother of God, you said yes when the angel Gabriel told you that you were to become the Mother of God. Help us not to be silent. God awaits our response to his love in faith this very moment. Help us not to hesitate, but to give our fiat with a strong and humble voice!!!

Please pray for all priests and seminarians and support SAcred Heart Radio.

     Today we sing the fourth antiphon, “O Clavis David” (O Key of David). The importance of this title is that from the Fall of Adam and Eve, mankind has been locked out of heaven. Our separation from God was such was that the door could be opened from God’s side. Only one with authority possesses the keys.  However, with the reality of the Incarnation -of God becoming man- Jesus Christ as Messiah IS the key who opens heaven for us and he does it from our side. He does not just possess the Father’s authority, HE is AUTHORITY IN HIMSELF!

    O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel, controlling at your will the gate of heaven: come break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and lead your captive people to freedom.

      John Allen, the self-anointed expert on Pope Benedict has offered some back handed support to the Pope on his upcoming trip to the US and speech to the United Nations. The Pope in his opinon seems to have serious communication problems. In the op-ed section of the NY Times today, he opines that

     Part of the problem is that so far, this cerebral Pope has a track record of blurring such compelling arguments during his biggest turns on stage. Allen is referring to Pope Benedict’s remarks being “misunderstood” at Auschwitz, Regensburg, Brazil and to the NGO’s in Italy. In each case, Pope Benedict goes beyond the superficial to deal with the real issue, which always goes back to the Truth. Allen continues  by writing that Pope Benedict’s ideas however, were overshadowed by a few throwaway phrases that betray a worrying insensitivity to how unfamiliar audiences are likely to hear what he says.

     If Pope Benedict seeks anything, it is perfect clarity in regard to the nature of the question being studied and an honest assessment of its virtues and drawbacks. THAT IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM FOR ALLEN! Benedict says what he means and means what he says. He does not obfuscate or water down the truth. The Truth has a habit of making the hearer when he/she rejects or does not know the truth, naked. When the truth is clearly proclaimed, whether it is on issues of  religion or those of social or sexual or cultural morality, there is nothing for us to hide behind. It is what it is. When he goes to the UN in April to speak, I’m sure that many will be offended, if for no other reason that the Pope claims to know the Truth as given to us in Jesus Christ.

       A long time ago, when Jesus told a politician that he came to bear witness to the truth, the politician replied “What is truth?” I’m sure that many will repeat Pilate’s words today. Allen seems to think the Pope needs to find a way to make the truth palatable to the post-modern person. The fact of the matter is that if you have no taste for truth, it will never taste good. The world has, I believe, lost its taste for truth. The only way to get people face it is to put a big, heaping spoonful in front of their face and say “Open up wide.” If we are proclaiming the truth of Jesus Christ and the human person in a spirit of charity and humility, and it offends someone, it is not our problem. It is theirs.

    Today we pray the third of the “O Antiphons”, “O Radix Jesse” (Root of Jesse). This antiphon recalls the prophecy from Isaiah that a shoot will spring from the stump of Jesse. King David was the first flower from the Jesse tree. With the destruction of the monarchy through idolatry and defeat and exile, the great tree was reduced to a mere stump. However, in the divine plan, the stump was not dead, but dormant. From this stump will come the finest branch of the tree of Jesse, the true Messiah, Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Mary. On this third day, let us pray that our own hearts, that have become lifeless stumps due to sin and evil,  will sprout the new life of Christ through our repentance from sin and a renewed faithfulness to God.

     O Flower of Jesse’s stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence: the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.

Please pray for all priests and seminarians and support Sacred heart Radio

     This second day of the “O Antiphons,” we recall the Lord hsowing himself to Moses on Mt. Sinai, commissioning him to free the Israelites from the slavery of the Egyptians . We bessech the Lord Jesus to come quickly to us, so that as the new Moses, he may set us free from Sin and Death, which truly enslave the human race through sin.

    O Sacred Lord of Ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the Holy Law on Sinai mountain: come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.  

Please pray for all priests and seminarians and support Sacred Heart Radio.